Can-opening device



March 31, 1931. s v 1,798,988

CAN OPENING DEVLQE Filed July 13, 1927 Zzyerze J 6401? NVENTOR 0 BY j 0ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES EUGENE SEAVEY, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

CAN-OPENING DEVICE Application filed July 13, 1927. Serial No. 205,405.

This invention relates to improvements in can opening devices. 7

The primary object of the invention resides in a can opening device inwhich the can cutting element is vertically adjustable above a cansupporting platform to facilitate the easy opening of cans of differentsizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can opening device inwhich the blade of the cutting element is shaped to fit the contour of acan top and by which the cut edge of the can is automatically bentinwardly during the cutting operation to provide a smooth open end tothe can.

A further object is the provision of a can opening device which includesa cutting element adjustably mounted above a can receiving platform andon which an adjustable can guide is mounted for holding the can in a setposition with respect to the cutting element for accommodating theopening of cans of different heights and diameters.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an article of thekind mentioned which is simple in construction, and inexpensive ofmanufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certainnovel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, theessential features of which are hereinafter fully described, areparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved can opening device showing a can in position to be opened.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the can opening device per se.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the knife and itshandle.

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view of the can guide.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of the cutting blade.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 10designates a base or platform which may be constructed of either metalor wood and from which a post or standard 11 rises vertically adjacentone of the edges thereof. The post 11 is hexagon or angular shape incross section to slidably receive a block 12 in which a set screw 13 isthreaded for clamping engagement with the post for holding the block 12in various positions of vertical adjustment.

A cutting element 14 is pivotally supported by the block 12 as at 15 andwhich passes through a cutting bladelG.

The blade 16 is of concavo-convex shape in cross section both verticallyand horizontally to fit the general contour of the side of a can, andwhich blade is provided with a corrugated knife edge 17 for cuttingengage ment with the top of the can to be opened and by which thecutting edge of the can is automatically turned inwardly to produce asmooth open edge to the can. A handle member 18 constitutes part of thecutting element 14 and is relatively U-shape in plan so that the freeends or legs straddle the extension 19 of the cutting blade and to whicha cutting pivot blade is fixedly mounted by rivets 20. Pivot- I" thehandle member and ed between the legs of extending into the enlargedbody of the same, is a bottle cap opener 21 which is pivotally mountedas at 22, whereby the cutting element may be removed from the post andutilized for the opening of milk like. 'The blade 16 is also providedwith a metal bottle cap opener 23 which may be used for the removal ofmetal caps from bottles and like containers.

For the purpose of positioning the can 24 upon the base 1-0 with respectto the adjusted position of the cutting element, I provide a guidemember24 which is constructed of a single piece of flat material, cutand bent to provide a curved or segmental shaped wall 25 from which anangularly disposed manipulating handle 26 extends. The handle 26 ispivoted to the base 10 adjacent one of the corners thereof by means of ascrew 27, while the said handle has spring fingers 28 punched therefromand which extend downward for engagement with the top of the base 10 andby which a friction may beset up be tween the guide member or the basefor bottle caps and the maintaining the said member in an adjustedposition.

The cutting blade 16 in addition to being concavo-convex is providedlongitudinally with a compound or spiral curve, whereupon the cuttingsurface which progressively engages the top of the can to be opened isad ways vertical. If this were not so, then the cutting edge would notcut in spaced parallel relation to the top edge of the can, as thecutting blade is pivotally mounted upon the supporting post.

In operatlon of the device, the cutting element 14 is swung to aposition parallel to the post or standard 11 and raised to a position toallow the top of the can to pass beneath the end of the same. Thecutting element is then moved downward until the nose 29 of the cuttingblade strikes the top of the can at which time the set screw 13 istightened, whereupon the can is held clamped down. The can when placedupon the base is V moved .against the wall of the guide memher whichguide mernber is adjusted to the proper position for positioning thecanwith respect to the cutting element. The device may now be operated, atwhich time the operator grasps the can by one hand and proceedslto swingthe cutting element downward causing the nose to swing freeof the can torelease the same while the pointed end of the blade penetrates the topof the can and the following knife edge progressively cuts same. Thecutting element is, IDQVed up and down until the entire top of the canhas been out, the operator turning the can during the cutting operation.It will be appreciated that by reason of the peculiar con struction ofknife blade, the cutting operation causes the edge of the can to beautomatically turned inward, as the knife blade does not cut from theextreme periphery of the top but slightly inward therefrom.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have providedacan opening ,device which is capable of receiving cans of differentsizes and which can may be held rigid during the cutting operation whichsevers the entire top of the can and turns the cut edge inwardly againstthe side walls.

aperture in one end thereof for receiving said pivot, a convex notchedcutting edge on said knife blade, a handle on the opposite end of saidknife blade for swinging the latter on its pivot to cut a curved line inthe top end of a can, said can adapted to be manually revolved on saidbase for joining the ends of the curved'line to sever the entire top ofthe can, a pivoted guide adjustably mounted on said base to hold a canin position thereon, and spring fingers stamped from said guide andadapted for frictional engagement with said base for holding saidpivoted guide in an adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my El l 1 ENE SEAYEY.

s gnatur 1 7 While I have described what I .deem to be i the mostdesirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many of thedetails may be varied without in any way departing from the spirit of myinvention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact details ofconstruction herein set forth nor to anything less than the whole of myinvention limited only by the appendedclaim.

* What is claimed as new is A .canopening device comprising a straightvertically disposed post, a' base supporting said post, said:baseadapted also to support a can adjacent said post, a pivot mountedon said post, a curved knife blade having an

